Sea Day

February 17, 2013
I had a meeting this morning instead of my first hour of work. When I got up to Club HAL, it was only crew-kids there. All five of them are great, easy to look after and hang out with so I didn’t mind. I helped one start playing Lego Harry Potter, while another played another video game and their brothers did something together. I talked with the three-year-old and her mother and tried to help the mother leave without the 3-year-old noticing (didn’t work, but she’s only been 3 for a month so it didn’t surprise me that she wasn’t ready to have mommy leave her).

I hung out with Jacob and a teen in the Loft until lunch. I sat with Jacob and a random bunch of crew. I found out later that the person sitting next to me was actually the captain. The staff captain, an acupuncturist and a few doctors were there as well. It was interesting, I didn’t really have much to say to be part of the conversation, so I just ate slowly as the group switched out people (the DJ-former Club HAL,- life stylist and a HAL Cat eventually came) until it was finally time for me to go back to work. Two crew kids came and a quiet 10-year-old girl and a younger girl who’s very agreeable all came and stayed the whole time. It was a very easy afternoon.

After the afternoon session ended, I went to the Loft and met another teen and the three of us talked for a while until I decided I should go to my room at some point before dinner. So, I read for about 30 minutes then went up for dinner with Charlotte. We sat with a steel drum player and talked ship life until two officers and a spa girl joined us, when the officers and musican talked and I talked some with the beautician, Charlotte contributed to both conversations. Still, it felt a little odd to me, like the mixing of the groups doesn’t happen a whole lot on this ship. I’d gotten so used to seeing everyone mingling with everyone on the Maasdam.

The night session started out with no one there, then the doctor’s kids came and we played video games until the young girl and her cousin came. The family came just after snack, just when I was getting out stuff for Camp Night. Despite being so excited about it earlier, they were no help in making our tent/fort. The other kids thought it was great, but they only complained about how it didn’t look at all like a fort. They kept asking if they could do stuff or go places but I ended up stopping answering because it was always the same questions I’d already answered negative to. I had other kids that needed more of my attention. So, the two doctors kids and the girl cousins and I began to make our camp flags. The youngest of the three relatives finally decided she wanted to make one too and came in the fort to do so. I was relieved at that point, especially when the little girl and her worked on a camp flag together! That pretty much took up the time until the doc’s boys left and then the little girls parents came. The older cousin stayed and of course the family. We played apples to apples until closing time.

The family stayed for after-hours again and we played with the balloon until 10:30 ice cream time (their parents kind of insisted we get them dessert and had already put in a few complaints to the front office about Club HAL’s lack of food/drink (um just because your kids don’t like the snack and don’t want paper cups doesn’t mean we don’t provide them snack!) and our lack of engaging them in activities. Apparently this is going to be a nightly thing. But hey, it’s a guaranteed $15 cash per day each for me and Jacob. After ice cream we played sardines/hide-and-seek in the room. Always interesting when people count fast and others giggle when hiding. Jacob took over at 11 to let me get some sleep. Regular morning schedule tomorrow, then we’ll see about the afternoon.